An FIR has been filed against two individuals in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra for making offensive remarks against chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Besides, Shiv Sainiks also barged into the shops of the aforesaid individuals and vandalised them for their critical posts against the senior leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra.
This is real intolerance!😡
— आलू बोंडा (@ek_aalu_bonda) May 26, 2020
this was done by radasainiks of BEST CM’s party just for a Fb & WA post in yavatmal!!
cc @priyankac19 @OfficeofUT pic.twitter.com/zGHY2i9gXt
Following Maha Vikas Aghadi government’s bungled response to the coronavirus outbreak in the state, there is a simmering discontent brewing among the people for the government’s inability to stem the spread of the virus. Social media platforms are rife with scathing remarks for the state government’s failure in handling the crisis. In line with this, Satish Pimpre on the Wani Grameen Samachar Whatsapp Group and Vivek Pandey on Facebook uploaded posts criticising Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar and Rahul Gandhi.
However, the disparaging remarks were unpalatable for the local Shiv Sainiks who couldn’t bear their leaders being subjected to criticism for their inadequacies in fashioning a reasonable response to the raging pandemic. Enraged local Shiv Sainiks rushed to the police station to file a complaint against them for their offensive social media posts. Subsequently, the livid Shiv Sainiks, led by former Shiv Sena MLA and current district chief Vishwas Nandekar, proceeded towards the commercial establishments of the concerned individuals and vandalised their shops.
The Shiv Sainiks first reached Satish Pimpre’s Raswanti shop on Nandepera Marg on Tuesday and ransacked it. Later, they marched towards Jatashankar chowk where they vandalised Vikas Pandey’s mobile phone shop.
Shiv Sainiks have a history of exhibiting intolerance towards dissenting voices
This is not the first instance of intolerance exhibited by fervid Shiv Sena supporters and workers. In the past too, they have been displayed dangerous bigotry against those who dare to criticise Shiv Sena supremo and Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray.
In December 2019, Shiv Sainiks had allegedly beaten up a man and forcibly shaved his head for making disparaging remarks against Uddhav Thackeray over his statements on the Jamia Millia issue. The video of Shiv Sena goons first thrashing the said man and later tonsuring him had gone viral on the Internet.
In the post, the man, Rahul Tiwari, had criticised Thackeray for comparing the action against Jamia Nagar rioters with that of Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919. After he got threats from some people, Tiwari deleted his Facebook post. However, on Sunday, a mob led by Shiv Sena functionaries Samadhan Jukdeo and Prakash Hasbe beat him up and tonsured his head outside his residence in Shanti Nagar area.
